Collateral by Callie HartMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Zeth’s words say it all after reading the final instalment of this outstanding Blood & Roses series by Callie Hart.
I. Can’t. Breathe.I first saw this series through another blogger's TBR and knowing her reputation for finding great books and great authors I thought what the hell, I'll give it a shot. Little did I know that I would become obsessed with the Blood & Roses series and its extremely talented author.
It's not often that these days we find a series which is so memorable because let's face it, we're all reading so much now thanks to the indie author community and ereaders that it's easy to move on from book to book without looking back. That is certainly not the case with Blood & Roses though and I know I'm going to read this series more than once to enjoy Zeth uninterrupted.
We were hit hard with the first instalment. Zeth the heartless monster, Zeth the sex fiend, Zeth the killer but book by book, Zeth has given up his secrets to us readers until we get to see the real man, his heart, his passion and his love for his angry bird; Sloane. This is a story of beauty and the beast and in true romance style, the beauty slays the beast with her tenderness and a determination to win over this beautifully broken man.
Together with Michael, Zeth’s loyal friend and his sister, Lacey, the group continue to struggle to find a way to overcome the nightmare that is Charlie Holsan. After Charlie spins lies to Lacey to win her trust, Zeth and Sloane must find a way to rescue her from his clutches before it’s too late.
As ever, the group try to move secretively in order to avoid the ever watchful eyes of DEA Agent, Denise Lowell, who is still trying to bring Zeth to justice along with Sloane’s brother-in-law, Rebel.
Now working together; Rebel, Zeth, Sloan and Michael hatch a plan to get Lowell off their backs once and for all but things don’t go to plan and the group have to think of another way to ensure their freedom.
Zeth is starting to accept that Sloane’s love for him is genuine and he knows he already can’t live without her but is he willing to open his heart to this woman and to trust himself to be in her arms, especially at night? For me the turning point in their relationship was when Zeth and Sloane kissed on the mouth and after all the angst, emotional turmoil and raw passion of their relationship, we found ourselves breaking for this damaged man as he trusts Sloane to fight through his penultimate emotional defence.
I read this book willing there to be a HEA especially after all of the heartbreak faced by this group of friends throughout the series so far and whilst I loved the ending it wasn’t read without tears and sadness. Zeth’s fragility is raw and his emotions are tangible and the chapters where a simply a few words were expressed extracted more emotion from me as a reader than the in-depth analysis of the story line.
As ever, the sex in this book is breathtakingly brutal and violent but the pain continues to be welcomed and wanted by Sloane.
”You’re too smart for your own good, angry girl. Now you know our little secret, you’re going to have to be punished.”This series isn’t for the squeamish but it is one full of suspense, intrigue, violence, sex, and most importantly LOVE.
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